senseless, unthinkable, inconceivable. there are no shortage of words to describe the tragedy that struck at the elementary school right here in newtown, connecticut today. but we've heard one word repeated over and over again -- why. abc's chief investigative reporter brian ross has spent the day uncovering details about the 20-year-old shooter. brian? >> cynthia, he was armed to the teeth with legally purchased

guns and went from obscurity to infamy. until today, adam lanza was known mostly in his neighborhood as someone who did not play well with others. adam lanza was a child of an affluent connecticut town and the child of divorce. a family friend, barbara frey, told abc's jim avila that the son was troubled and the mother was demanding of him. >> he was not connected with the other kids. my son played with him when they were young. and in her home, i know she was very particular. i just think she maybe had too high of standards or something. or focused only too much for whatever reason. >> so was there conflict? was there some kind of tension between the two of them? parent and child? >> not that i know of, but i think the fact that the parents were divorced must have contributed to it. >> reporter: tonight, adam's brother ryan and his father peter, a ge tax lawyer, were

questioned by the fbi and police in new jersey. looking for clues as to what led the youngest member of the family to kill. someone believed to be ryan lanza left the station tonight without comment. >> i think the most important thing to point out with this kind of an individual is that he did not snap just this morning and decide to act out violently. these crimes involve planning and thoughtfulness and strategizing in order to put the plan together. so what may appear to be snap behavior is not that at all. >> reporter: after first killing his mother at the family home, authorities say the young man headed to the sandy hook elementary school, wearing a bulletproof vest. authorities say he was armed with a semiautomatic assault rifle and two high-powered pistols like these. police say both his mother and his father legally owned a number of guns of the same kind. a relative said adam was obviously not well.

>> we'll go backwards as far as we have to go in this investigation, and hopefully we'll stumble on answers. >> reporter: but what even the crime profilers are having a hard time trying to figure out is why the attack on the children. most of them killed on the spot, according to authorities. the only theory is based on reports that his mother, divorced three years ago and unemployed, may have worked as a teachers' aide at the school. >> the children didn't harm him, but they were associated with his mother and his mother may be the real focus all of this. the anger and rage and resentment has built up in him over a number of years, and he decided, i've been powerless all this time, and now i'm going to empower myself. >> reporter: but so far, it is only a theory, following a day of confusion and misinformation about the tragedy. starting when state and federal authorities first identified the shooter as adam's older brother ryan, now a new york accountant. that led to ryan posting

messages on his facebook page. "it wasn't me. i was at work. it wasn't me." but when ryan arrived at his home in hoboken, new jersey, police took him into custody for questioning. authorities want to know if ryan or anybody else in the family had any idea adam was threatening to become violent. >> typically, i've heard people say, yes, he said that, but i didn't take him seriously. yes, he said that, i thought he was joking. i couldn't believe that anyone would do that. i just ignored him. >> reporter: it's not known if adam lanza made any such threats. in the end, he apparently killed himself at the school after killing so many others. what crime profilers say is the expected outcome in cases like this one. >> every one of them either -- they know when they go that they're going to die at the scene, either by the hands of the police or they kill themselves. >> police know in horrifying detail what happened inside that school, but they don't yet have any idea what happened inside

the damaged mind and broken soul of adam lanza, cynthia. >> thanks, brian. just ahead, the question of millions of american families are struggling with tonight. what should you tell your children about this tragedy? i have obligations. cute obligations, but obligations. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal.

sandy hook school, caller indicating that she thinks someone's shooting in the building. >> i thought we were all going to die. >> we all hurried into my teacher's office. it was scary. we had to hide there. >> those who died today were children. beautiful little kids between

the ages of 5 and 10 years old. >> we're confident that we have the shooter in this incident. >> my heart goes out to anyone who knew them and was part of their lives. i just can't imagine. >> and welcome back to a special one-hour edition of "nightline." i'm cynthia mcfadden reporting from newtown, connecticut, near the sandy hook elementary school, the site of an unthinkable tragedy that played out this morning. at least 20 young children and six adults shot and killed here in less than 30 minutes when a 20-year-old gunman went on a rampage. tonight we know that so many people across the country are facing a difficult challenge. how to explain something so horrible to the children in their lives. abc's juju chang spent the day consulting with the experts. >> i was in shock.

>> it was terrifying. i'm still terrified. i'm still in shock. >> reporter: when adults are left speechless by traumatic events, it's hard to imagine what's going on in the mind of a child. >> we are continuing our breaking news coverage. >> reporter: adults often gorge on media images, trying to glean facts, gain perspective. >> what was the motive of the alleged shooter, why would he do this? >> reporter: to make sense out of a senseless event. but for children, it can have the opposite effect. today, psychologists and pediatricians are strongly urging parents to shield their school-aged children from too much exposure to the news. >> for really young children, they can be confused and think that this is happening over and over and over again. they don't necessarily know that it's on loop. for older kids or kids who are in, like, around 8, 9, 10, they might sort of just be inundated with anxiety and people's fear and people's stress. it can overwhelm their capacity

to cope. >> reporter: elementary school is supposed to be a safe, innocent place. but today's shooting shatters that notion for parents. if your children are old enough to ask questions, instead of talking to the kids, try just listening. >> start by asking them what do you know, how are you feeling? ask open-ended questions so that you can start from there. a lot of times we think they want to know lots and lots of information that adults want to know, but children don't necessarily have the same questions or have the same needs. >> reporter: when they do ask questions, don't hide from their concerns, but try not to over-answer either. that can just heighten their anxiety? >> or confuse them. it can make them more anxious. it could plant seeds, maybe ideas that hadn't occurred to them. >> reporter: while we don't want to hide our emotions, try not be overly emotional i'der in front of the kids. kids get their cues from grown-ups. >> we look to grown-ups, it's called social referencing, it's what kids do.

so we're all sort of being watched and kids are looking to us to let them know how should we be reacting to this? >> reporter: and so if parents are overreacting? >> understandable, but try to share your sadness and your anxiety and your fear and your anger with other adults and shield children from those conversations. >> reporter: mental health experts told us they've learned a lot from the experience of 9/11. >> a number of children were traumatized who had no direct contact with 9/11. but rather, watched the media extensively, and for those children, a term was coined called secondary terrorism. >> reporter: for parents, it's a delicate balancing act, calibrated to each child's personality. is my kid anxious? is she fearful? >> right now, you're going to see a lot of anger. you're going see a lot of sadness. a lot of tears. but over time, watch for these kinds of things. watch for children who are having trouble sleeping or eating. kids who can't focus, they can't go to school, they can't resume their normal activities. or children who are just

obsessed with worrying. all they can think about and talk about is this event. those kids, you'll want to get them some special help. >> reporter: reassure them that they're safe. the images can be haunting. explain in concrete terms that the police and teachers are working to keep schools safe and explain that this is a very, very rare event. parents are able to put it into perspective. they know the odds are incredibly long that their child's school is going to have this kind of incident, and yet kids might not know that. >> that's right. we develop thinking errors like that sometimes after a trauma, and kids are especially prone to it. they're especially prone to what we call magical thinking or associative logic, so if it happened in a kindergarten classroom, it will happen in another kindergarten classroom. >> reporter: you have to correct their magical thinking. >> that's right. >> reporter: the professionals we spoke with said that the best comfort may not be verbal. >> there's a superb body of research from animal research to human research, research with

premature babies, and what this all comes to is that the touch, the comforting has strong biological effects and so it's not just a cliche of parenthood. it's wisdom through the ages that has now science behind it. >> reporter: an idea endorsed by president obama earlier today. >> this evening, michelle and i will do what i know every parent in america will do, which is hug our children a little tighter. and we'll tell them that we love them. >> reporter: so when words fail us, never underestimate the power of an embrace. every parent knows that school can be a source of anxiety too for young kids, regardless. i spent the day interviewing those trauma experts and child psychologists and they all say the same thing. kids depend on parents to feel safe. so while it may not be appropriate to hold a school assembly, which might increase fears, schools are a source of community and parents should check in with their teachers and administrators to see how their kids are responding. but as a sad footnote, cynthia, the sandy hook school principal was among those killed today and that community will need a lot

of support moving ahead. >> our thanks to you, juju chang. earlier today, we saw a deeply touched president obama, the father of two, choked up while addressing the nation about the tragedy at sandy hook. abc's jake tapper has been following the president throughout the day and he brings us the latest. >> reporter: the day began quietly. normally, as days like this always seem to do. there was not much on the president's schedule today. a bill signing. a meeting with u.s. ambassador to the united nations susan rice following her headline-grabbing news. there was a holiday party. but a madman would make today one of the worst days of the obama presidency. the president participated in that bill signing around 12:30, but by the time the press secretary came out for the daily briefing a few minutes later, the news. that horrifying news about the

reality of the shooting. clearly was known. >> at approximately 10:30 this morning -- >> reporter: the press secretary was reluctant to share any information until it was definitive. >> you seem shaken. a lot of us feel shaken. >> i can tell you that as a father, incidents like these weigh heavily on him. >> reporter: shortly after 2:00 p.m. eastern, flags were lowered to half staff at the white house and at government buildings and military installations and vessels throughout the world. >> the majority of those who died today were children. beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. >> reporter: shortly after 3:00 p.m., president obama reacted. not as a president, but as a parent. >> i know there's not a parent in america who doesn't feel the same overwhelming grief that i do. >> reporter: it was an emotional side of the president, rarely seen in public. he repeatedly wiped away tears and paused to compose himself.

>> they had their entire lives ahead of them. birthdays, graduations, weddings. kids of their own. >> reporter: today the president suggested he might take some action. >> we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics. >> reporter: it was unclear what meaningful action the president intended, whether gun control or something to do with the mentally ill or something else. the only action we knew for sure he would take was this one. >> this evening, michelle and i will do what i know every parent in america will do, which is hug our children a little tighter, and we'll tell them that we love them and we'll remind each other how deeply we love one another. >> reporter: the president later today visited with his family

and appeared at a holiday reception. we had a tough day today, he told the crowd. we did. and there are some people who will now have nothing but tough days for the rest of their lives. this is jake tapper for "nightline" at the white house. >> our thanks to you, jake. just ahead, what we've learned today about this extraordinary community as we bring you incredible images of the town banding together in the face of tragedy. military families face, we understand. at usaa, we know military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice.

call or visit us online. we're ready to help.

today's tragedy may have catapulted sandy hook elementary into the national spotlight, but the school system here has long been renowned for its excellence. so much so that parents go to great lengths to have their kids attend school in this area. abc's jim avila brings us a look inside some very special classrooms. >> reporter: sandy hook elementary has always been well-known here in central connecticut. not for tragedy, but as a warm, creative sanctuary for children aged 5 to 10 years old. with a sterling reputation for

academics, small classes of 20, known for its caring teachers and scoring a perfect 10 from greatschools.org. in the top 3% of all the state's elementary schools, a magnet for civic pride and growth. >> people come to newtown for the schools. the husbands will sacrifice the commute just to come to newtown. >> reporter: the principal, dawn hochsprung, who died in the attack, kept a twitter account proudly documenting the school easily achievements. just two days before the gunfire she wrote, sandy hook students enjoy the rehearsal for our fourth grade winter concert. on december 10th, kinders write lists, select grocery items. pay the cashier at their new classroom supermarket center. and in october, this tweet emphasizing security, safety first at sandy hook. it's a beautiful day for our annual evacuation drill. messages from a principal who loved her students, welcoming incoming kindergarteners with this sweet message this fall. >> we have to say the teachers are pretty much where it's at.

they love the kids. they love to teach. the kids get a lot out of it. >> reporter: caitlin spent six years at sandy hook. she's 21 now and still remembers the warnlgt the warmth she felt at her first school. >> it's very close-knit. it's a small school, but i just -- i don't know. it was just really important to me. really important to my development. >> reporter: kaitlin watched the tragedy unfold on television this morning. heard little children attending the same classes she remembers so fondly, tell of hiding in classroom closets and corridors. >> when i was listening to the news, i know the layout of the school. so i can imagine what was going on, the chaos. so this was really close to home. >> reporter: sandy hook is indeed quaint, idyllic, even. quintessential new england. but here, too, schools have stepped up security. just this year, sandy hook elementary school put into place a security plan, making it mandatory for visitors to ring a

doorbell, and only be let in if the staff recognized them through the video monitor. and if staff didn't recognize the visitor, he or she needed to present a picture i.d., sign in, and only then would be let into the school. even when kaitlin went to sandy hook, there were emergency drills, lessons that may have saved some of the children today. >> exactly what the kids were saying on the news, go into the corner of the room, the teacher would lock the door and turn out the lights, be quiet, which is really hard for kids. especially when they think it's not real. but i think most of them knew that something was really serious this time. >> reporter: for "nightline," jim avila, in sandy hook, connecticut. >> thanks, jim. earlier tonight, i was able to see some of the remarkable strength of this small community firsthand, when i attended a crowded vigil right down the street at saint rose church where i found scenes of love and resilience in the face of the most incomprehensible tragedy.

where do you put a pain this deep? for hundreds of people in this tiny, tight-knit community, the place was saint rose catholic church. it was part vigil. ♪ part wake. part group hug. they came to pray, yes, but also just to be next to each other. and while hundreds of them crowded inside the church, even more piled outside. ♪ amazing grace lighting candles and praying silently. this parish alone lost six of its youngest members today. the priest here, monsignor robert weiss, spent most of the day the a the firehouse next to the school counseling their grieving parents. >> the parents, i have to say, the love in the room -- as broken as they are -- is just phenomenal.

>> reporter: in fact, he told us tonight many of the parents plan to remain at the firehouse overnight, unable to bear the thought of leaving while children's bodies remain inside the school. >> i think the reality has suddenly hit that these 20 children are with the lord now and they've been taken from them too young and too innocent. and that we just told a little boy about his sister now. it's just hard. who am i going to play with, he said. >> the state's governor dan malloy was here, too. >> in the comes days and the coming weeks, i will pray that you all embrace one another. that you lift one another up, that you understand the difficulties that you collectively will undergo. >> and outside the church, they were embracing, sharing comfort and sometimes horror. >> i'm so sorry. oh, god. >> reporter: ray worked at a before and after school program in sandy hook, elementary, and says he left just five minutes

before the shooting happened. >> i wish i had stayed five more minutes to stand in front of the son of a bitch. >> reporter: among the faces in the crowd here, this young man, who says he went to high school with the shooter. >> he always seemed like the quiet type. i tried to make a connection with him a couple times but nothing really ever worked out. >> hail mary, full of grace. the lord is with thee. >> reporter: but for the most part, people here were not talking about the shooter but about the children and the others who lost their lives so horrifically. >> i feel parents who have probably christmas presents at home for their babies and just kids who are not coming home. they left today this morning and they're not coming home. it breaks your heart. ♪ round yon virgin mother and child ♪ >> that sound of christmas just days away, almost unbearable tonight. >> there's 20 brighter stars in

the heaven than every night in newtown. these 20 children were just beautiful, beautiful children. >> sadly, this is just the first chapter in this tragedy. "good morning america" will be here in the morning as the story develops overnight. good night, america. up next on jimmy kimmel live. >> hey, an app that can help you lose your job. it's called facebook. >> mel brooks. >> how did you get into show business in the first place? >> none of your business. >> abc news jake tapper, music from jason aldeen, and "this week in unnecessary censorship." >> wow, this world is serio

hi. jimmy kimmel here letting you know that subway is ready to cater your next event. with sandwich platters like the flavor crater, or the fresh fit. i think now would be the perfect time for me to give you your gift. >> okay, jimmy. >> and here it is. that's the subway three-foot giant sub. >> wow. a three-foot giant sub from subway? my favorite. thank you, jimmy. you are so very, very, very

generous. >> well, you deserve it, buddy. >> i got a present for you, too. >> you do? >> yeah. >> jimmy: wow. >> yeah. >> jimmy: thank you. >> put it down a little bit. >> jimmy: so you can read the teleprompter? >> exactly. that is the subway six-foot giant sub. >> jimmy: well, thank you, guillermo. >> it's bigger than the one you gave me. >> jimmy: i see that. >> it's three foot bigger. >> jimmy: yes, i can see. >> it's twice as big. >> jimmy: i get it. you got me a better gift than i got you. i'm embarrassed and i'm sorry. >> don't feel bad, jimmy. christmas is about friendship. >> jimmy: thank you for saying that, pal. i feel the same way. merry christmas, guillermo. >> merry christmas, you cheap son of a bitch. >> subway caters. give them what they love. visit subwaycatering.com to

order. >> dicky: "jimmy kimmel live" back in two minutes with mel brooks, jake tapper and music from jason aldean. we need to leave our contract plan for net10 wireless. doug's family doesn't have that. you could have any of these top smartphones at half the cost of our plan. you aren't bad parents. you just fell in with the wrong wireless plan. welcome to the next generation of family plans. visit net10wireless.com. ♪

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>> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live!" tonight -- mel brooks. from abc news, jake tapper. and music from jason aldean. with cleto and the cletones. and now, like it or not, here's jimmy kimmel! [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: hola. thank you, cleto. hi, everyone, i'm jimmy, i'm the host of the show. thank you for watching. welcome to my apartment complex.

thank you. my pleasure to have you here. why are you here? shouldn't you be at work right now? by the way, if you are looking for a job, facebook just launched a new app. they teamed up with the department of labor to create what they call the social jobs app. you can browse through 2 million job listings. you know it's bad when even facebook thinks it's time for you to get a job. facebook also has an app that can help you lose your job. it's called facebook. try it. [ applause ] this saturday -- on saturday, we are celebrating the third annual national unfriend day or nud, for short. this is a holiday i started two years ago. the idea is to encourage people to go through their list of facebook friends and unfriend anyone that is not actually a friend. it's all part of your history month here at the show and anyone who falls into the not a friend category, i would like

you to cut them loose on saturday. because who has time to keep up with all the pets, the kids, the lunch. i used to want to know what my friends were having for lunch every day, but then i turned 6 years old and now i don't anymore. [ laughter ] i -- thank you. [ applause ] i dream of a better world, a world in which i don't know that the guy i sat next to in woodshop is now training for a half marathon and saturday, that dream will become a reality. and yes, maybe some people's feelings will get hurt, but trust me. after you unfriend, you will feel as clean and happy as a lady in a shampoo commercial. it will be a wonderful thing. to fully participate in national unfriend day this year, i'd like you to go to our facebook page, facebook.com/jimmykimmellive. we will provide you with a badge you can ad to your profile picture. for instance, if this is your picture, of guillermo 30 years ago, you just click on it and this logo will be added to your

picture. it says i nud'd. if you tell everyone, maybe they maybe take -- maybe they won't take it so personally. earlier this week, i asked our viewers to tell us who they'll be unfriending and why. a lot of people took time to upload videos to youtube with the title, hey jimmy kimmel, meet my best unfriend. this is the person that they were most looking forward to unfriending on saturday. we got some good responses, which i present to you now. >> hey, jimmy kimmel, this is my best unfriend. i just want to move to pittsburgh! finally arrived in pittsburgh! i'm in freaking pittsburgh and it's so beautiful. off to pittsburgh! almost. here's the weather in pittsburgh! this is me sad because i'm not in pittsburgh anymore. can i just go back to pittsburgh now? unfriend! >> i am unfriending everyone

whose facebook profile says that they attend hogwarts. >> this is my best unfriend. as you can see, he has a profile picture which is a car. and there he is flexing his guns. >> for national unfriend day, we decided to unfriend rico. >> she went to my high school in 2007 but she was an exchange student and we never spoke. in case you are wondering what she's up to today -- [ speaking foreign language ] good-bye. unfriended. >> i would like to tell you who i'm going to unfriend. hey! guys. guys, can you keep it down? um -- i -- sorry about that. um -- you know what, maybe, jimmy, i'm just going to unfriend my roommates. >> unfriend this tool bag i went to high school with. he posts a new status every hour about what he's doing and nobody cares. nobody cares that you met mark wahlberg, okay? i'm surprised he didn't punch you in a face because you're so annoying. >> i want to produce you to my best unfriend. this guy derek is an avid exhibitionist.

we used to be friends, he was a normal dude. now when i check my messages, this is what i have to look at. i'm sorry, man. but it's time. bam. unfriended. >> jimmy: all very deserving of unfriending. remember, this saturday, november 17th, the third annual national unfriend day. if you are not apart of the solution -- >> hey, hold on a second. what's this all about? [ applause ] >> jimmy: look at this. it's fred willard, everyone. >> thank you, thank you. wait a minute. [ cheers and applause ] thank you. i didn't come for the applause, but it's very nice. jimmy, i'm serious. what's going on here? i mean, i thought we were friends. >> jimmy: we are friends. >> what's all this with national unfred day. >> jimmy: no, no. >> let me get this off my chest. everything is fun for a laugh,

jimmy, but there are millions of people named fred out there and i happen to be one of them. and did you ever stop for two seconds and think about my feelings. evidently not, because you are telling people to unfred. which, i mean, what if i started a holiday and told people to unjimmy? how would that make you feel? >> jimmy: well, fred, it's -- >> don't call me fred. you can call me mr. willard until you decide to banish that for heaven's sake. >> jimmy: it's not -- >> you know, i've had enough of this. you don't care about anyone other than yourself. >> jimmy: that is just not true. >> maybe you are unfamiliar with the many contributions people named fred have made to the world. >> jimmy: i think am i familiar. >> roll tape. >> jimmy: there's tape? >> hi, i'm fred willard. some very ignore rat people out there seem to unaware the important roles freds have played throughout history. from the brilliant military strategist fred the great. and pioneering civil rights

leader fred douglas. the incomparable of fred chopin and fred mercury. the dancing of fred astaire. and let's see, fred rogers. fred flintstone, fred krueger. and i'm sure there's more i can't think of right now. so, the next time sometime tells you to unfred, maybe you should stop and think about where we'd be without fred. and then tell jimmy kimmel to stuff it. this has been a special message from the american fred cross. fred! [ cheers and applause ] what do you have to say for yourself now? >> jimmy: it's unfriend. >> what? >> jimmy: it's unfriend, like national unfriend day, it's -- >> unfriend? >> jimmy: yeah, like on facebook. >> oh. >> jimmy: to get back to unfriend people that they aren't --

>> i feel a bit foolish. >> jimmy: this is the third year we've done this. >> it sounds like a very good idea. >> jimmy: thank you, yeah. nothing to do with fred at all. >> oh, that's a relief. thanks, jimmy. >> jimmy: well, thank you. >> do you mind if i hang out in the green room? they have great meat balls back there. >> jimmy: enjoy. stay as long as you like. >> i didn't want to do this. i feel much better about this. >> jimmy: un -- ah -- i had no idea that was going to happen. [ laughter ] in business news, hostess, the company that makes twinkies, wonder bread, that sort of thing, is in big financial trouble right now. hostess filed chapter 11 back in january and after they went bankrupt, the court allowed them to cut the pay of 18,000 employees. last week, the employees went on strike.

hostess announced if the employees didn't return to work by 5:00 p.m. today, they would shut hostess down and liquidate their assets. they didn't come back. there's a big announcement tomorrow and if they do what they said they would, hostess could be a thing of the past which is kind of sad, really. i hope the twinkie cowboy doesn't have to go back to turning tricks. that would be -- i don't understand how this is possible. this country has never been fatter. how are the people who make zingers and snowballs losing money? [ laughter ] colorado and washington just legalized marijuana. if you can't figure out a way to make money off of that -- [ cheers and applause ] i got to tell you something, hostess. maybe you shouldn't be in the snack cake industry. i guess i'll just have to take my business to little debbie. this is good. this is video from a basketball game in belgium. i can sense your excitement already, but -- here we go. you see, this guy shoots a free throw. and he misses, player from the other team grabs the rebound and instead of going the other way, he tries to score -- we've seen this before but never this many

times. i don't know if those are belgian rules basketball or -- i don't know. all i know is i would like to see him in a clippers uniform immediately. [ applause ] and one more thing. it is thursday night, it is the end of our broadcast week. it's time for our weekly tribute to the fcc where we bleep and blur things whether they need it or not. it is "this week in unnecessary censorship." enjoy. [ applause ] >> thanksgiving just eight days away, the animal welfare group mercy for animals is accusing butter ball of [ bleep ] its turkeys. >> tonight's lead, prepare to [ bleep ]. >> let's come together. once more this holiday season and [ bleep ] small on november 24th. >> general petraeus had an extraordinary career. he [ bleep ] this [ bleep ] with great distinction. >> wow. this world is seriously [ bleep ] up. >> the theme for this week is [ bleep ] and [ bleep ]. don't come any bigger than these four. please welcome the x factor judges!

>> can i [ bleep ] one of the sea lions. >> do you want to do that? >> i want to. >> the layoffs would mean taking officers off the street to handle [ bleep ] jobs. >> you be [ bleep ] or do the [ bleep ]? >> i'd rather be the one doing the [ bleep ]. >> you think you know everything about me, don't you? >> i [ bleep ] your bottom, i bloody well ought to, sir. >> somebody called the police because you were [ bleep ]. >> not [ bleep ]. >> i didn't say you were [ bleep ]. >> well, you say [ bleep ]. it made you sound like -- >> did he cause any damage inside when he was [ bleep ]. >> no, he did not. >> yes, he did. >> jimmy: tonight on the show, from abc news, jake tapper is here. we have music from jason aldean. and we'll be right back with the great mel brooks, so stick around.

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>> jimmy: tonight on the program, he is the senior white house correspondent for abc news and author of this very big news book, it's called "the outpost."

jake tapper is here. i've been reading this. it's actually great. and jake, by the way, is also the guy who, on election night, famously taught us this. >> i just want to make sure that everybody's clear on the fact that barack obama's not white. >> jimmy: that's the first i was hearing of it. and then, a multiple platinum selling country artist, jason aldean, from the bud light outdoor stage. jason will be performing on the american music awards, this sunday night here on abc, so, watch him there. we've got a very good lineup next week. tim allen been here, eric stonestreet, l.a. reid, simon cowell, demi lovato and music from amy mann and james mercer and flo rida will be here, too, so please watch it. if it weren't for our first guest tonight, the world might never have discovered how a very funny nazis hunchbacks can be.

he holds the brain behind classics like "the producers," a monday more great films. a new box set celebrating his 65 years in entertainment, "the incredible mel brooks: an irresistible collection of unhinged comedy," is out now. please welcome mel brooks. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: how are you? >> it's almost a pleasure to be here. [ laughter ] it's very nice. very -- very, very nice. washed, clean people. >> jimmy: they hose them down before they come in. >> lovely.

and the unfriend thing almost worked. >> jimmy: almost worked. this close. you're saying longer, should be longer? well, thank you. i have to say -- it is -- it's okay. it's a good premise, you know. when you said -- we didn't say fred, we said friend. now -- i don't -- i wrote the show of shows for ten years. [ applause ] and -- and i happen to be free now, so -- [ laughter ] so -- >> jimmy: now you tell me. where were you this afternoon. >> get a premise like that, we'll talk -- >> jimmy: i'll run it by you. >> i can help. >> jimmy: you have to understand though, he's confused because it's friend and he thought it was fred. >> they got it. >> jimmy: oh, okay. make sure we --

>> let me -- i -- there's a little hole in the door where you can see the audience and the middle of it, there was a lot of them, there's a whole row over there that was -- [ snoring sound ] but it's okay. you've got to try. you're on every night. >> jimmy: and it's important. >> it's hard. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: it's important to rest, too. it's so important. >> yes, yes. it's hard. >> jimmy: well, thank you for coming. we're right -- you put this together, but we're right across the street from the chinese theater, which, the climax of "blazing saddles" occurred, which is -- does that give you any feelings of -- >> we shot harvey in the balls. i know, it happened. >> jimmy: someone had to. >> right. someone had to. >> jimmy: one of the writers of "blazing saddles," i learned from watching this great dvd collection is -- >> thank you. >> was richard pryor, which surprised me, because i don't know why i didn't know that. how did that happen? >> he was a buddy of mine. he was working at the vanguard.

we kind of hung out together in the village. and when we got the idea to do "blazing saddles," it's about a black sheriff and we used the n-word a lot. and -- [ laughter ] so i called richard, i said, richard, i, you know, i need you to bless the n-word. [ laughter ] i, you know, i'm close. you know, i'm a drummer. >> jimmy: yeah. nice. this is not drums, though, this is a desk, mel. >> you know, the truth is, it's not really a desk. >> jimmy: not really a desk. >> cardboard. it's mostly cardboard. a desk is wood. [ laughter ] and this looks like wood but it really isn't wood. >> jimmy: it's a vinyl sticker we put on the top. >> it's all right. show business.

>> jimmy: that movie, i think -- you know, because i show my kids, just as my parents, like, my, "young frankenstein," we watch that movie more than any movie as a family in my house. we probably watched it 80 times, i think. >> this is a deprived family. >> jimmy: no, it is -- that movie is bullet proof. it is funny from beginning to end and it doesn't matter what year it is, i mean, i think sometimes you look back at movies and people, you know, go further and they do things that are even more extreme, but a movie like "blazing saddles," this is a movie that even -- i think it's too politically incorrect to be made today. >> it couldn't be made today. could not. they wouldn't let you. you know, when we had a preview at the embassy, there was a guy running the studio. there were two guys, one guy, his name was, a lovely guy, his name was john callie, he was in charge of making the movies.

and then there was a guy, ted ashley, who was in charge of warner brothers. and he was going with a girl, his fiance, and we had this kind of this preview, people laughed, they enjoyed. i he shoves me into the manager's office, terrible office, and, anyway, he says, he says, okay, here's a legal pad, here's a pencil. take these notes. i said, yes, sir. he ran warner brothers. yes, sir, whatever you say. he says, n-word, out. it's out. we don't say it. he said, no punching a horse. no punching a horse. around the campfire, cut out the farting. out. you can't punch an old lady.

the black sheriff -- out, out. so, okay. all right. i -- i said yes, sir, it's gone. it never happened. come back tomorrow, it's all out of the movie. he leaves. i crunch it up and i go all the way across the room and put it in the wastebasket. and john callie says good filing. [ applause ] >> jimmy: thank god. you were able to leave it in. >> no, i had final cut so i said, you know, what do i care? you have problems, you know. >> jimmy: you're one of few people that have won the emmy, grammy, oscar and tony award. that's a lot of hardware. [ applause ] there's more? >> and next thursday, a week from today, you will see them all on ebay. >> jimmy: is that right?

you're selling everything? >> i think things are going as well as you could. >> jimmy: what do you think you could get for one of those? >> $100. >> jimmy: that's just unbelievable. does that make an impression on you? i know you are getting an honor from the american film institute. >> that's important because i spent my life in, you know, making movies and to be alongside cappra and ford and hitchcock, that's a real honor. >> jimmy: that means something to you. [ applause ] how did you -- how did you get into show business in the first place? >> what did you say? >> jimmy: how did you get into show business in the first place? >> well, that's really none of your business, jimmy. >> jimmy: tell them and i'll listen in. >> all right. you know -- [ laughter ] you meet people, you know? you know, the band, i love the band, the band -- i was in the

mountains, good evening ladies and jews -- >> jimmy: in the catskills? >> yeah, the catskills. this is all true. i would say good evening, ladies and gentlemen, man of a house faces. one. two. three. the jews waited for 1,000 faces. [ laughter ] the band -- >> jimmy: they wanted them all? >> the band always laughed. by the sixth face, the band got it, you know. the band is not that smart. >> jimmy: they were with me on the friend thing, too. >> i heard them on the fred thing. [ snoring ] >> jimmy: when we come back, we're going to look at something from this great collection, "the incredible mel brooks: an irresistible collection of unhinged comedy." mel brooks is here. we'll be right back. ♪

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>> jimmy: we have mel brooks sitting in with the cletones.